Combining folk songs and a piece from Gershwin's folk opera with blues, cabaret, French chansons, protest songs, and originals, these 12 tracks fully exemplify the multifaceted genius of Nina Simone. Included are "I Loves You, Porgy," "Mississippi Goddam," "The Other Woman," "Sinner Man," "Ne me quitte pas," "See Line Woman," "I Put a Spell on You," "Break Down and Let It All Out," "Four Women," "Wild Is the Wind," "Pirate Jenny," and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

"It's impossible to imagine the emergence of current artists like Macy Gray or Lauryn Hill without Nina Simone. She was hip-hop 20 years before the beats arrived. In the 1960s, no black woman was any more 'gangsta' than Nina Simone…. Simone may have been embittered by racism and social injustice, but that gave shape to her persona as a kind of female black Bob Dylan, albeit with a bit more swing than twang and an unmistakable passion and intensity that remain unrivaled to this day."—David Was, NPR